Music-roll for pneumatic musical instruments



W. G. BETZ.

MUSIC ROLL FQR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 6. 1916.

1,357,214, I Paten ted Nov. 2,1920.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. IBETZ, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

MUSId-ROLL FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Application filed October 6, 1916. Serial No. 124,028.

My invention relates to music sheets such as are employed on pneumatic instruments, that is, pneumatic player-pianos, and has to do more particularly with a simplified arrangement for placing the notes and corresponding words of a song in association with the corresponding perforations in the sheet; or the notes alone may be placed upon the sheet for other instruments, so that as the sheet travels over the trackerbar of the piano, the notes and words, corresponding to the notes being played, ap-

pear in proper alinement with the note perforations.

Various methods have been-suggested for doing this, one being to lace the words only of a son" on a llne with the notes being played. 'fhere are certain objections to this, however, in that one must first learn the melody before it is possible to sing the words of the song, as it is practically impossible to tell what note is to be next played by its position on the sheet. Another method which has come into use is to place both the words and notes with their staffs in alincfment with the note perforations, the staff being cut up into halfmeasures, or only long enough to contain a single note, and having its staff lines hor1- zontally disposed. These last schemes are objectionable, however, because the staff is cut up into such short portions and without any idea of continuity, so that 1t requires a constant readjustment of the eye to the note staff every fractgon of a second, and the repeated efforts of i entifying with the eye and realizing with the brain the positlon of each note as it appears.

In ordinary sheet music a certain number of measures are included in one continuous staff, according to the size of the sheet, the melody notes of the song corresponding in position with the words. Such music 18 comparatively easy to read, but it will be apparent that it would be very difficult, if

not impossible, from a musical viewpoint, to interpret correctly a composition if the stafi were separated or broken up into parts of measures.

One of the objects of myinvention is to combine the note perforations and the musical staff in such a way that the notes maybe readily followed as the sheet travels downwardly. To this end, I provide a staff which is oblique to the line of travel of the music sheet, each staff or section of staff preferably containing one or more measures.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the preferred form of my invention, the usual music spool being shown with a section of sheet music having the melody note erforations, and the music staff to one si e, preferably at the right side.

As here illustrated, I have shown one measure for each oblique staff, the notes and corresponding words being in horizontal alinement with the associated melody note perforations.

In the form illustrated in the drawing, each staff comprises one measure, the bar at the end of each measure extending as a connecting line to the bar at the beginning of the ensuing measure. In this way, there is a continuity not present when the connecting bar or line is left out. This connecting line,

although not absolutely essential, I believe will assist the eye in following the staff as the music sheet travels downwardly. I also preferably extend each staff to a point in horizontal alinement with the beginning of the first melody. note of the ensuing measure,

then starting the ensuing staff before this first note is reached so that the note in the staff may be placed on a line with the beginning of the associated note perforation. It will be noted that the upper end bar of each staff carries an indicating dot at the edge of the sheet, this point indicating the dividing bar or point between measures. I also preferably employ a curved note-arm, as in this way it avoids the adjacent note, whether above or below, as is illustrated in the drawing.

As illustrated, other notes beside the song notes may be represented, for instance, a violin accompaniment. In' such case these notes are also preferably placed in horizontal alinement with the perforations,

other notes and words/or syllables, as the than the song notes, so as to more clearly brin out the distinction.

VV here words accompany the notes, they are placed adjacent the notes as shown in the drawing, preferably in horizontal alinement with the beginning of the note perforations. The staff preferably continues from the beginning of the roll to the end, words being placed wherever necessary, and rests, or other indications, placed at the proper points, as called for the composition. In this way, the singer follows the music composition-the same as any other sheet music, the lace always being indicated by its position over the middle of the tracker bar.

Although I have indicated staffs with measures of equal length,'it will be understood that they may vary, their length being determined by thelength of the measure of the note perforations. That is, the note perforations of one measure may extend over a length different from another measure. These variations may occur from a change in tempo, from the holding of any particular note, or other causes.

What I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

1. In a music roll, the combination with a perforated music sheet for pneumatic player-pianos, of a music staff having staff lines trending obliquely across the sheet and having notes corresponding to the note perforations.

2. ln a music roll, the combination with a perforated music sheet for pneumatic playerpianos, of a music staff having staff lines trending obliquely across the sheet and having notes corresponding to the note perforations and in horizontal alinement therewith.

3. In a music roll, the combination with a perforated music sheet for pneumatic playerpianos, of a music staff having staff lines trending obliquely across the sheet and having notes and words corresponding to the note perforations.

4;. In a music roll, the combination with a perforated music sheet for pneumatic player-pianos, of a music staff having staff lines trending obliquely across the sheet and having notes and words corresponding to the answeranote perforations, and in horizontal alinement therewith.

5. In a music roll, the combination with a perforated music sheet for pneumatic playernanos, of a music staff having staff lines trending obliquely across the sheet and having notes corresponding to the note perforations, the notes being correspondingly situated relative to the beginning of the accompanying perforations.

6. A music roll comprising a perforated music sheet for pneumatic musical instruments and a music staff divided into sections having staff linestrending obliquely across the sheet and having notes corresponding to the note perforations;

7. A music roll comprising a perforated music sheet for pneumatic musical instruments and a music staff divided into sections having staff lines trending obliquely across the sheet and having notes corresponding to the note perforations and in horizontal alinement therewith.

S. A music roll comprising a perforated music sheet for pneumatic musical instruments, and a musicstaff divided into sections having staff lines trending obliquely acrossthe sheet and having notes and words corresponding to the note perforations and in horizontal alinement therewith.

9. A music roll comprising a perforated music sheet for pneumatic musical instruments, a music stafi' divided into measures corresponding in length to the length of the measure as indicated by the note perforations and trending obliquely across the sheet, upper and lower bars for the measures, and a connecting line running from the upper bar of one section to the lower bar of the next section, and notes on the staff corresponding to the note perforations.

10. A music roll for player-pianos comprising a perforated music sheet, staff lines trending obliquely across the sheet, notes correspondingto the note perforations and in horizontal alinement therewith, the notearms of the-notes being curved so as to avoid the adjacent note.-

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

l VILLIAM G. BE'lFZ. 

